Volume 27

A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous. Ingrid Bergman

The President of Spain will Visit Álora on Tuesday 26 April 2005

On Tuesday 26 April 2005, D. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the president of the central Government of Spain, will visit Álora to preside over the second Day of the Province that will be celebrated in the New Cervantes Theatre.

Álora has the great privilege to be the Town chosen as the first visit to Andalucia by the President. In addition the celebrations will be attended by the President of the Junta de Andalucia, Manuel Chaves González; the minister of Development, Magdalena Álvarez and the consultants of Sport and Culture, Paulino Silver and Rosa Torres also the president of the Delegation of Málaga, D. Salvador Pendón respectively.The Provincial Symphony Orchestra will provide their excellent backing. A presentation of four Gold Medals in recognition of paralímpica sportswoman Francisca Bazalo, the actress Maria Precipice and Pablo Pineda, the first Spaniard with Downs Syndrome to achieve a university title (Gold medal of Andalusia), and the poetess Maria Atencia Victory (Favorite Daughter of Andalusia) will be made.

The president will present to Alora as the recipients of the second Day of the Province a skilfully produced canvas by the French painter Jacques Laulheret who settled in Álora, he has captured in this work the balance among the inland towns and of the coast of Malaga.Salvador Pendón will pay tribute to the enormous effort the City Council of Álora has made in their efforts to ensure that during 26 April 2005 the municipality shines at it best.

After the Tsunami

A benefit concert in aid of the victims of the Tsunami will be held at the Municipal Swimming Pool, Álora today.

The doors open at 1.00 pm and the entrance fee is €2.

There will be a lunch of paella followed by different activities and various music groups that will perform during the day. 75% of the collected money will be dedicated to the Tsunami and 25 % to local associations.

Hope For Illegal Property Owners In Cartama

Many of the illegal or unlicensed residential properties in Cartama may soon be legalised, according to a spokesman. Over the last 20 years thousands of properties that do not conform strictly to the existing PGOU have been built in the town and surroundings.A spokesman for the council authorities said that they were studying ways of integrating these properties into the new PGOU, which is in the process of being drawn up. The conclusions reached will be presented to the authorities in February. José Garrido, the mayor of Cartama, stated that many residents of the affected areas had petitioned the council to legalise their properties by integrating them into the new plans. However, once the plans are approved, it will probably take more than a year for them to be ruled on by the Junta de Andalucía.

Airport Growth According to statistics, Jerez airport has maintained its rate of growth in 2005, as flights abroad soared 30 per cent. The airport has gained 15 per cent more passengers in the first quarter and has already exceeded 220,000, confirming the importance of the area as a tourist centre. However, the Tourist Board has warned that much of this increase is due to direct flights in which passengers no longer have to pass through Madrid.

Young Britons Planning To Move Out Of UK

Over 72% of young Britons are considering moving to another country in the future according to data released by the Fresh Start Show who will explain to everyone from the 13th to the 15th of May 2005 at London’s ExCeL Centre. This information is supported by figures from the Office of National Statistics which show that emigration has reached its highest ever level, with 190,900 Brits leaving the UK to live abroad in 2003.Top of the "What will I miss most" list is family and friends, followed by pubs and the countryside. Men and women then differ in their priorities, with men rating British sport as important whilst women would miss the UK shops more.

A spokesman said "More and more people are realising that their dream of life on sunnier shores is not only achievable, but a viable option in terms of living costs, property prices and quality of life."For further information on Fresh Start or to buy advance tickets click here. www.freshstartshow.co.uk

Metrovacesa Group Expands

Joaquín Rivero, once a little known property developer bought a stake in Bami, a then unprofitable real estate company. That proved a wise investment. Spain joined the euro zone in 1999 and as interest rates continued to fall Bami profited from a housing boom and Rivero began buying up other Spanish property firms. "We don't know how to live without growing," says the 60 year old real estate mogul.

Now Rivero and his Metrovacesa Group have made their biggest move yet, a $7.1 billion offer for Gecina, a French company almost twice Metrovacesa's size in assets. If successful, the acquisition would create the Continent's largest real estate empire, with annual revenue of $1.8 billion.

Temporary Halt To Odyssey’s Undersea Works

After high level intergovernmental meetings planned for later this month, the company should be able to resume work on the Sussex with the co-operation of the appropriate authorities. The pressure to hold up the project has come from the Junta de Andalucia which claims to have a right to a say in the proceedings In the spirit of cooperation, Odyssey is going to continue suspension of operations on the Sussex to provide time for these meetings and to continue discussions with the Spanish, UK and US governments relative to sovereign warship issues,” said a company statement.By the end of April, it is anticipated that sufficient preliminary survey work will have been accomplished on at least three of the shipwrecks located in the western Mediterranean to provide Odyssey’s research department sufficient artefacts and information to determine whether to continue excavations. EU Preparing For New Members On Monday foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg will sign an accession treaty with Bulgaria and Romania that will see these 2 European states join on January 1st 2007.The entry of the two former communist countries increases the membership to 27 states, this will add more than 30 million citizens to the current 450 million population, and stretch borders to Moldova and the shores of the Black Sea.

For the first time the EU will become a major player in the Black Sea region, sharing closer connections with aspiring members Turkey and Ukraine.

The entry of Bulgaria and Romania, pending ratification by the national parliaments of EU states, will complete an enlargement cycle that started with the revolutions of 1989. Barring any last minute hiccups, all the countries that shrugged off communist rule that year will have joined the Union by 2007. Spain Legalises Gay Marriages

Spain become the third European country to make gay marriage legal as the new law has been passed to allow same-sex couples to tie the knot. The Spanish lower house of parliament passed the controversial law to make gay marriage a reality.

The change to Spain's Civil Code said: "Marriage will have the same requisites and effects when both parties are the same or different sex."

Instead of the words husband and wife, the law will now use the word partners. Competition Time ...

Following on from our very successful competition regarding the Frank Gehry designed building .................Who designed this one?

Albacete 1 - Málaga 2

Malaga beat Albacete 1 - 2 to achieve another away win. This last win puts Málaga all but mathematically clear of danger:

Málaga´s next game is against Barcelona at La Rosaleda on Sunday night 24 April, kick off is at 19.00 hours.

Diet Rules

If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.

For an even bigger (and different) selection of Properties consider www.MarbellaHomes.net

Quote of the week

If soap is used to make you clean, why does it leave a scum

Contact us today!

Email: info@1casa.com

Our team in the UK:

Tel: +44 333 022 0135

Selling your home?

We are actively looking for homes to sell, just contact us and let us know about your property!

Why should you Buy your new Home in Spain from the team at 1Casa.com?
Our Expertise and many years of experience is available to you not just with suggestions, advice and guidance selecting a suitable property but also regarding any Financial and Legal Advice